Has the movie formerly known as M:I4 found its big baddie?

Now that Tom Cruise and director Brad Bird have mostly squared away Ethan Hunt’s team for NOT M:I4 with a cast that includes Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames, focus must now turn to the villain at the center of the story. Michael Nyqvist, who starred as Mikael Blomkvist in the Swedish version of GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, is reportedly in final talks to star as the film’s lead villain.

Who exactly the villain of the piece will be and what kinda evil shenanigans he’ll be up to remains unclear but the report claims Nyqvist’s character is “not your typical spy-film villain.” I don’t know, he kinda looks like a typical spy-film villain to me (minus the Gap sweater, I mean). An atypical spy-film villain would be like a really old black woman. Or Siamese twins from Canada.

With Nyqvist reportedly set, the next major role to be cast in the film is the head of IMF. Apparently Bird and Cruise are looking for a major A-list actor to join the cast for the role (played previously by Jon Voight, Anthony Hopkins and Laurence Fishburne). I know it would never happen but they need to get a guy like Gene Hackman. Or Warren Beatty or something. An A-list guy who hasn’t been seen in a while to come out of retirement for a cameo.

Filming on NOT M:I4 is expected to begin this October in Prague.